Hairy polyp can be lethal even when small in size

A case of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest in a 3‐month‐old girl is presented. The patient had barely recovered from hypoxic encephalopathy when she presented with repeated respiratory distress. Computed tomography and endoscopic analysis revealed a shiny polyp in the lateral wall of the nasopharynx, a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics international 2013-06, Vol.55 (3), p.373-376
Main Authors: Koike, Yuhki, Uchida, Keiichi, Inoue, Mikihiro, Ohtsu, Kazuya, Tanaka, Takaaki, Otake, Kohei, Tanaka, Koji, Kusunoki, Masato
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Congenital diseases
Delayed Diagnosis
dermoid cyst
epignathus
Female
Heart Arrest - pathology
Humans
Hypoxia, Brain - pathology
Infant
Nasopharyngeal Diseases - congenital
Nasopharyngeal Diseases - diagnosis
Nasopharyngeal Diseases - pathology
Nasopharyngeal Diseases - surgery
Nasopharynx - pathology
Nasopharynx - surgery
Pediatrics
Polyps - congenital
Polyps - pathology
Polyps - surgery
respiratory distress
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - diagnosis
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - pathology
Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn - surgery
Risk Factors
Surgical outcomes
teratoma
Throat
Tumors
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Summary:A case of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest in a 3‐month‐old girl is presented. The patient had barely recovered from hypoxic encephalopathy when she presented with repeated respiratory distress. Computed tomography and endoscopic analysis revealed a shiny polyp in the lateral wall of the nasopharynx, and this polyp was suspected to be the main cause of respiratory distress. After referral to our hospital, surgical removal was performed, and the histopathological diagnosis was hairy polyp. Hairy polyp is a rare congenital benign tumor that sometimes induces respiratory distress. This polyp can potentially induce a life‐threatening event. In a systematic review of 40 reported cases, polyps of ≤3.0 cm in diameter have a higher risk of respiratory distress than do those >3.0 cm in diameter (P = 0.01). Small hairy polyps may be lethal because of delayed diagnosis. To locate small hairy polyps, physicians should not hesitate to perform further examination because there is the possibility of oversight with only physical examination.
ISSN:1328-8067
1442-200X
DOI:10.1111/j.1442-200X.2012.03715.x